Watch Jon Lester Give a Young Cubs Fan His Cleat — and a Thrill — After Game 5 of World Series

CHICAGO, IL — For most Cubs fans, starting pitcher Jon Lester has been the city's hero for the past 24 hours thanks to his gutty performance in Game 5 on Sunday, which kept Chicago's World Series title hopes alive.

But in the eyes of one lucky, young fan, Lester's heroic act came after the game, not during it. And it had nothing to do with his arm and everything to do with his foot. Or at least what he wears on that particular appendage.

A video posted to Facebook on Monday shows the Cubs pitcher being escorted out of Wrigley Field after Sunday's 3-2 win over the Cleveland Indians. As he reaches a gate where fans have gathered, Lester points and motions to the crowd and specifically to a boy who is off camera.

RELATED: Oops! Cubs Fans Cheer for the Wrong Team Leaving Wrigley Field

The pint-size admirer then sprints to Chicago's pitching ace, who slips one of his shiny blue-and-white cleats between the gate's bars. Treasured piece of World Series memorablia in hand, the boy dashes back to his spot as the crowd cheers over Lester's generosity.

Watch the full video of Cubs pitcher Jon Lester giving a young fan one of his cleats after Game 5 of the World Series.

For a certain generation of sports and pop culture fans, Sunday night's scene between Lester and the boy played out like a 21st-century update of the classic 1979 Coca-Cola TV commercial featuring Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle "Mean" Joe Greene literally giving the shirt off his back to an adorable youngster for a bottle of Coke. The Lester version, however, is a bit more upbeat (and unscripted), but no less touching.

A pitcher's (presumably) smelly game shoe is an odd souvenir for a player to be handing out when compared to a baseball, a bat or even a batting glove. But apparently, this move isn't unprecedented among major leaguers. In August, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman surprised a young fan during a game by giving him a pair of his cleats.

That moment — and that memory — will always be priceless.

YOUR TURN: Do you know who this lucky Cubs fan is or have any information about him? If so, send a note to Patch editor Joe Vince at joe.vince@patch.com. Patch would like to talk to him about receiving one of Jon Lester's cleats after Game 5 of the World Series.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester (photo by Arturo Pardavila III | Wikimedia Commons)

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